Rep Gabrielle Giffords has announced that she will step down to concentrate on her recovery
Photo by: Giffords website

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords announced on Sunday that she will resign from her congressional seat this week.

The announcement by the Arizona Democrat comes almost a year after she sustained massive injuries at the hands of a deranged shooter in Tucson.

Jared Lee Loughner, the shooter on that tragic day, killed six people and wounded 13. Giffords almost died from the gunshot wound to her head which damaged her brain so severely that for months her recovery was left in question.

'I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice,' Giffords said. 'I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week.'

Before handing in her resignation to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Giffords plans to attend President Obama’s State of the Union address tonight. She has also resolved to finish the meeting that was 'interrupted', her staff announced in a statement, by meeting with some of the survivors at a private event in Tucson on Monday.

Over the past year ,Giffords staff have managed the running of her office whilst she endured multiple surgeries in Houston, where her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, lived.

Although Giffords has made a remarkable recovery, she has made the choice she was reluctant to make.

Now a special election will be held in the next few months and neither her husband nor her experienced staff members are expected to run.

Giffords will submit her letter of resignation to House Speaker John Boehner later this week, her office said.